‘I felt a nausea of fury’ – how I faced the cruelty of Britain’s immigration system

Article in The Guardian

7 March, 2018

A powerful testimony on the deleterious effects of the populist anti-immigration narrative. The UK shows the way in how to foster a fractious society, that creates suspicion and fear, and breeds exclusion and resentment. It will take a generation to repair the damage to the social fabric. A clear example of how to shoot oneself in the foot!

“It is hard to describe what it feels like to confront the possibility of leaving a country in which you are settled. I had by then been living, working (in emerging markets private equity) and paying taxes in the UK for nine years and enjoyed all the natural extensions of that investment – a career, close friends, a deep attachment to the place, a whole life. It is almost as if the laws of nature change, like gravity disappears and all the things that root you to your existence lose their shape and float away. I remember thinking, “I can’t leave, I’ve just bought a sofa.” It was a ridiculous thought, but that secondhand sofa from the local flea market was the first item of furniture I had ever bought. Suddenly, it signified the folly of nesting in a country that had no intention of letting me make a home.”